1. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art methods of drying film strips utilize high volume air flow to strip the solvent from the film in the form of a fine spray. While such methods may have been referred to as "non-evaporative" drying, such is actually a matter of degree and the creation of mists in such processes tend to develop considerable vaporization. Such systems use high pressure, high volume air flow directed at oblique angles to the surface of the film to literally blow off the cleaning solvent. U.S. Pat. No. 2,967,119, FIG. 4, shows such a system in which high pressure air tears the cleaning solvent from the film surface and creates a spray. Baffling vanes are used to shield the film from the spray.
While being a very desirable system, the above dryer uses a high volume, high pressure air system and creates a spray of solvent. The present invention is a low pressure, low air volume and is a highly efficient air nozzle which truly non-evaporatively removes the solvent from the film surface without a spraying effect.
2. Field of the Invention
The field of art to which this invention pertains is dryers for film cleaning machines and in particular to dryers using air pressure as a means for stripping cleaning solvent from the surface of the film.